Foodstuffs

Lots of Japanese women have blogs on which they mainly write about to post photos of what they've been eating or making. Am I turning into a Japanese woman?

Last night, our usual bar Nanaimo hosted a takoyaki party. Takoyaki is another dish most famous for being Osaka fare, but like okonomiyaki it's popular throughout the country. In this case, there's a similar batter base and the same put-in-what-you-like process for ingredients.

The main difference is the shape -- in this case little balls. The tako in takoyaki means octopus, as this is the most prevalent filler. But you could really add anything. Last night we used quail egg, cheese, pork, kimchee in addition to the octopus.

The picture above shows me helping prepare the takoyaki. I was perched there for a couple hours straight trying my hardest not to screw up the food that paying customers would attempt to enjoy.

The key is a fast spinning motion around the outside of the forging ball. Attacking too soon can mess things up. Or being a silly a foreigner. I had moments of glory, but there were those other moments too.

And also, I had beer.

Today I opted for a lighter dinner, leading to a salad. I had only tomato, cucumber and some bacon to work with. I got the bacon to ultra-crispy mode and chopped it up into bits, then threw this in with the chopped veggies and added an onion-flavored dressing. It was pretty good.


But a couple hours later I was hungry again. So I made up some pasta with a spicy meat sauce to serve as a second course for dinner and also as tomorrow's lunch at work.

To spice up the regular store-bought tomato pasta sauce, I added a mixture of sirracha chili sauce and the aforementioned onion dressing. Very tasty. Perfect amount of spice. In fact I might have to break into the fridge and have a litttttle bit more.

Okonomiyaki

The previous post mentioned the pancake-like dish called okonomiyaki.

A little background. Okonomi means "what you like" and "yaki" means to cook or grill. So the idea is you add whatever ingredients you like to a basic pancake-like batter, top it with a sauce, mayonaise and more and then eat. This is one of the signature dishes of Osaka, but it's available and popular all over Japan. (Wikipedia for the hard facts.)

In Osaka city, there are many okonomiyaki shops around. In Ise, there's a nice little shop just down the road from my place. At this shop, like at many, you can have the staff do the prep and cooking or you can do it yourself at your table/grill.

In the past, eating with fellow foreigners who often forge a collective aversion to culture, I have opted to let the professionals do the dirty work. But on this occasion, with a Japanese friend, it was a chance to try for myself.

Here is where it all begins for the customer. The big bowl has the batter and some toppings, including the pork. My kimchee is off to the side.

The Mom (appears to be a Mom and Pop operation) told us to mix up the contents of the big bowl, pour half onto the grill, add the main ingredient(s), pour on the rest of the mix, and then begin the grilling.

Here is mine in the early stages of grilling. It may be hard to gauge how big it is, but picture it as a two-spatula situation.

After a few minutes, when the underside begins to solidify, it's time to flip. First I watched Mai handle hers with the grace expected of a local. She slid in the two metal spatulas and sent the unit up and over itself, landing it perfectly in the same right-center spot it had been before.

My turn. What I lack in grace I make up for instincts, so when my flip went awry, sending the disc of goodness onto the rear quadrant of the grill, I tried to use the spatulas to pull it back to the center. Oops. Some of the ingredients came out, but the disc stayed put. The result -- the salvage, really -- was the birth of what I call the okonomi-baby.

But all in all my cooking experience was good. The final product looked decent, though not as good as its natively-engineered counterpart.

If you want to try this at home, which could be fun, try an online recipie. Here's one from About.com, although I of course cannot personally vouch for it. You can probably subsitute or omit a lot of the topping ideas (fish flakses, for example). One could have of fun trying different fillings and toppings (sirracha!).

Ise, toured

On Saturday, a friend from Nagoya came down to Ise to visit. Ise's a small town but a big tourist draw because of the Ise Grand Shrines, which are very important to the Shinto faith. Near the main shrine there's a traditional shopping district called Okage-yokocho. There you can buy gifts both cheap and not, eat a variety of foods and snacks, and mainly, you can enjoy a bustling atmosphere that Ise cannot offer anywhere else.

My friend, Mai, had been to the shrine once as a child but she didn't remember at all. So that meant I got to play host and show her around. The first stop was lunch. The Okage-yokocho area has a wealth of restaurants. We opted for one with reasonable prices and a short wait. Many shops in the area offer "Ise-udon" as a local specialty. This video explains, roughly, what makes Ise udon different from regular udon.

This picture shows my dish, curry-Ise-udon. The challenge is not getting curry-colored stains on your shirt.


And here's me posing for a photo in the restaurant.


And now that The Hair is on display here, let's take a closer look.


After lunch we went to walk through the shrine area. The idea is to go up to the shrine and pray, but the payoff at this shrine is the surroundings. Namely, trees. Big ones. And some other stuff. Take a look.


There's also a river flowing through the shrine grounds. As the Oregon Trail computer game might inform you, it's looking rather tranquil.


And here is the visitor herself.


And some more scenery.



After heading up to the alter at the shrine (photos forbidden) and praying, we headed back out to Okage-yokocho for a bit more looking around.

The first thing to catch our eyes was a cat who was zonked out. We think maybe the beer is to blame.


Then we decided to join the throngs of people all seeking to enjoy the soothing refreshment of Akafuku company shave ice with sweet bean paste inside. Right.

Akafuku is a local company founded in 1707 that is famous for its mochi (rice cake) snack. In the summer, they have a green-tea flavored shave ice with a sweet-bean-paste filling. It's ... pretty good. But you have to re-wire your conception of shave ice a little bit to enjoy the tea flavor. It's wildly popular. We had to wait about 10 minutes to get ours, and they were cycling through the customer number cards at top speed.


When showing a new person around Ise, the next stop after the shrine and Okage-yokocho is the Futami Wedded Rocks, known in Japanese as Meotoiwa. From the shrine, it's about 15 to 20 minutes away by bus. The rocks, said to be husband and wife, sit just off the shore in the Ise Bay. It really isn't much to see, and the rocks themselves aren't that impressive. I'm way more impressed by the variety of frog statues.

Here's a couple shots from there.


We then lucked out and caught a bus back to town with a minute to spare (they only head out once an hour). For dinner we went for okonomi-yaki. The Japanese like to call this "Japanese pizza" but it's really more comparable to a pancake into which you put in all kinds of delicious fillings. I had kimichee and pork while Mai had mochi-cheese. Hers was way better.

(photos to come ... technical difficulties)

And that's the story. It can be fun to be a tourist in your own town. Perhaps you can relate. Back in Pendleton I always though I should try that Underground Tours thing, but I never did. What home town touristy thing do you like? And which ones suck?

Have beer will jog

I was decent, as a basketball player, on that freshman team at Mac-Hi. Voted most improved player. Best defensive player. Averaged 2 points a game. Never mind that last part.

But in those days I was kinda quick and athletic.

This was before I met beer.

I turned 17 one day, and beer has been with me ever since. It stays with me, in the form of a belly, which I keep under wraps at all times, hidden behind the concealing powers of collared shirts.

Four -- OK, five -- years of college later, and it's evident that I spent more time in the pub than the gym. After two years in Japan, where people like me love pointing out that drinking is "part of the culture," I haven't done much to change my ways.

To be fair, the amount of physical activity in my daily routine has increased significantly in Japan, where I get around on a used bicycle instead of behind of the wheel of a used car. And now that I no longer live out of Snell Hall and the nearby fast food eateries, my food habits have mostly improved.

I have lost some weight -- you can see it in the lines of my face, but I don't actually measure -- since coming to Japan. But nothing substantial.

And it goes back and forth here. I don't have to weigh myself, I just encounter Japanese friends. Here it's routine for friends and acquaintances to casually comment on another person's weight status. This isn't considered rude or a taboo subject, but almost like a greeting.

"Oh, hey Steve, it's been a while, have you lost weight?" Maybe we can relate, but only when we're buttering people up (Steve, to be fair, has been laying off the butter). In Japan, they're serious. They say that if they think you've lost weight. Or if things look like they've been going the other way, they're equally blunt: "Steve, did you gain weight?" Their tone is sometimes grave, as in, "Steve, whoa buddy, you've put on some pounds there, don't you realize we're all paying for your health care collectively? Lay off the bear claws or the appropriate cultural substitute in this context."

This week has been a high point, though, in my physical activity lifespan. Yesterday I hit the gym and did some moderate lifting and 30 minutes of cardio. Today, along with the two other Yamasho ALTs, I went for a run along the river, about 6 miles in all, perhaps twice as long as my most recent attempts at running.

And it felt good, aside from the sudden seize-up of my right calf muscle as soon as walked in the door to my apartment. More stretching, check.

So now the goal is to keep up a routine. Yeah, I've said it all before. But I might have the edge this time. The new ALTs, Conrad and Annette, are both avid runners. I can join the team as the rusty, out-of-shape guy with significant experience in the gut area.

Now, all I've gotta do is find Steve, and find out where he keeps the bear claws.

Hawaii Part One: The Only Part

I can picture it. Friends, family, random Web surfers, strewn across the globe, waiting, impatient, furious. Where is the promised follow-up Hawaii blog post? You know, the one with the pictures?

It is here, finally.

...

From my window seat toward the back of the plane, I scanned Oahu for anything familiar. Vaguely I knew that the urban center of Honolulu was on the southeast side of the island. On the north, there was North Shore. Somewhere down there was the Nakahara home. Also, plausibly, a runway.

After the airport pickup, I showered and dressed down. No more socks. Just flip-flops for the week. (Also shorts and a shirt. They aren't that casual.) After a day or two, I realized I was the only person on the island wearing an undershirt.

No worries. My first meal was the Big City Diner in Waipahu. After a detailed appraisal of the menu I went with the turkey club (Kyle had the kimchee fried rice, which came in a quantity fit for a family of five). And while our waitress forgot our drinks, the food was good enough to make up for it.

After lunch we headed toward the North Shore, making a stop in historic Haleiwa town for some Matumoto Shave Ice. You can tell it's good because people are waiting in line for it. That's all you need to have a successful business.

Mixed in among mainland and Japanese tourists, we considered what flavor(s) we fancied as we waited in line. Behind me, a young man asked his mom whether the guidebook said what kind to get. Ha! I laughed to myself, and then to Kyle, he needs a guidebook to decide the flavor! Then the panic set it. Ahh! What should I get? I broke down and ordered the combo at the top of the menu.

We followed this with a drive around the North Shore area, which in winter features famous waves and is host to various surfing events. We stopped at a viewpoint for photos (I only had my phone at this point).

I slept late on Day 2, Friday, hoping to be ready to Be Active for the remainder of the trip. On the slate was a hike followed by a dip in the ocean to cool down.

We headed toward Lanikai, home to what's said to be the most beautiful beach around. First, we did what the Internet tells me is the Lanikai Pali hike, a quick, only sometimes strenuous venture up a hillside offering nice views. To give you an idea of the level, you can do the whole thing in flip-flops. Shoes with traction would make certain parts easier, such as the opening stanza, which is a bit steep and littered with loose rock and dirt.

Here is a view part-way up the hike:


There are two little huts along the trail, one at a false summit and the other a the top. The Internet informs me that these are World War II bunkers. For this reason, the hike itself is often called Pillboxes.

On the way down, we assured a group of struggling, rotund mainlanders that it does get easier. May they rest in peace.

A couple more photos:

From near the top.

Toward the start of the trail

After our descent, we took a quick dip and a short walk along what was indeed a beautiful beach. My aversion to the sun meant we didn't lay out, so we quickly made for a shower at a nearby park to de-sand and return home.

That's the end of part one. Part two may not ever materialize. In brief, we saw a movie and went shopping and had a lot of good food.

Now, here at the office with nothing to do, I must eat my convenience store sandwich for lunch. But I'll be picturing that turkey club as I do.

You'd have eaten a can too

At this hour, the tropical depression formerly known as Hurricane Felicia is still a couple hundred miles East of Honolulu, and she's only packing sustained winds of just over 30 miles an hour.

My Korean Air plane (do not try to get up when the fasten seat belt light is on -- they will chase you) was safely in the air as Felicia's weakened outer edges moved along the island chain. And tonight I've landed in a calm and clear Japan, one day shy of twin typhoon threats and a major metropolitan earthquake.

My six pack of fun-size cans of Mauna Loa brand Maui Onion & Garlic Macadamias has been reduced to five. Souvenirs, sure, but I get some too.

Dirty clothes, peppered with unworn socks and jeans, rest in piles near the bed. The little bag from Korean Air has a toothbrush in there. And socks. Really.

Down to my boxers. It's bed time.

Back on Oahu, Kyle and her mom and dad and brother and dog are probably sleeping in their soon-to-be-renovated house. Although the dog, Coal, may well be patrolling the house to keep the family safe from ever-present threat of neighborhood cats.

Although the five-day trip had lots of down time (Law & Order, CSI: New York and other dramas that TV offers late at night), it went by in a flash. Now, yes, I've been to Hawaii. There was a hike, a dip in the ocean, nice views, more than one serving of shaved ice, and food. A lot of food.

After some sleep, sometime tomorrow, I'll get some pictures ready and post a more detailed account of the touristy things I did around Oahu.

For now, just take it easy. That's how they do it in Hawaii. Mainly because Coal is patrolling for cats.

Seasons Greetings

It rained much of the day. It will almost surely rain a bit tomorrow. Also, the next day.

And while June kicks off this region's Rainy Season, ask a local if this three-day streak of precipitation is Rainy Season rain and they'll laugh you off. "It's not June!" they'll say by way of a soft, judging chuckle. "Rainy Season starts in June."

"Haha!" you'll say, until you realize it's not a joke.

I've said it many times, but I would stress here that I am not a weather scientist. However, I am willing to wager that the Rainy Season sometimes starts a bit earlier or later depending on, you know, patterns and models and Russian intervention.

Everything has an assigned season here. Last night, after a dinner of Indian curry and nan, a small group of us went down by the sea and lit off some fireworks. This is a summer activity no matter where in the world, but in Japan it's narrowed down to August.

When I told a Japanese friend via online chat what I had been up to, she admonished that it was a little early for fireworks. "We usually do it in August," she said, using "we" to mean "Japanese people." Of course we had a Japanese person in our group, and she actually was the one who suggested it.

It may not come as a surprise though that this person just got back from living a year in Australia. It's pretty clear that her season recognition abilities have been affected by her trip overseas.

Either that, or it was the Russians.

Swine

After a long vacation from the blog I though I'd try a post.

How could I not start with the Top Breaking Urgent Panic Bulletin item of the day:

Swine Flu!

In Japan, it's called shin-gata influena, with "shin" meaning "new," "gata" meaning "type," and "influenza" meaning "panic."

Japan's first reaction was to try to keep the new flu out, despite conventional wisdom among public health experts that it was too late to contain the disease.

The general murmur here was to avoid travel to infected countries, screen incoming passengers from said countries, and prepare just in case it somehow gets in.

Of course, it got in. Not long ago a some students who had been on a homestay program in Canada were found to have the new flu (since they changed planes in Detroit, however, the Japanese media decided they had come from the United States).

Since the only cases among Japanese people were those who contracted the disease overseas, Japan continued to operate under the inside outsie mentality. Xenophobia prevailed. One ALT colleage had a Japanese teacher come up to him and ask if he was going to get checked out for the swine flu, despite the fact the he hadn't been overseas or exposed to anyone else who had.

Over the weekend, a explosion of cases in two western prefectures, Osaka and Hyogo, has renewed -- and perhaps recasted -- the panic. Now there are at least 130 cases in Japan, most in Osaka and Hyogo, where more than 3,000 educational institutions have shut down for at least week.

The public schools in Mie have restricted out of prefecture travel and are strongly suggestion personal travel be put on hold unless it's absolutely necessary. A friend who recently went back to the states for a wedding is barred from going to work this week.

My question -- especially since I'm planning to go to Oregon for a friend's wedding next month -- is how the new developments might change the attitudes of panic-happy Japanese.

Logic says that since it's already here and spreading, efforts to keep Japan sealed have failed. Why restrict travel when it's already here and spreading?

But I'm not sure it works that way here. They increased panic might just inspire even stronger reactions out of ignorance or an effort to appear to be doing something about the threat.

Anyway. I'm watching developments closely.

Wow ... I set out thikning I'd try a light-hearted post on swine flu in Japan but looking back it's not very light.

More later!

Misleading headline of the day: Edge of Space Found

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090409/sc_space/edgeofspacefound

Watarai

Today I went to my once-a-week school, in a tiny town in the topograhically diverse Watarai. The road from the bus stop to the school is lined with cherry blossom trees, which are holding onto their pink display as of today.

After a quick meeting I have learned that my class size at that school has been cut in half. Good news, that is.

On the way out, I stopped for a phone picture:

Fire!

In the middle of a time-kill workday, it was easy to get excited when sirens came whaling upon the school grounds. Nobody -- from the principal on down -- seemed to know why firetrucks and ambulances were zipping around building number 2 heading toward the the far side of campus. Had a student been injured? Did a student's errant smoke light the nearby brush?

The vice principal got on the PA and asked any nearby teachers to check out what was going on. Then he and and few others rushed toward the scene themselves.

Eventually Nick and I decided to venture out as well. We joined a growing group of students watching a light plume of smoke rise above the bamboo trees just off campus. A fire! It didn't look to big, and with almost no wind it didn't appear to threaten school.

I joked with some students about whether they started it, as bamboo trees exploded with occasional muted pops and bangs. The firefighters scrambled to get into position. As the smoke thickened, teachers sent the students back to their classrooms as we all continued to watch.

It was impossible to tell what caused the fire, or what was burning, at least from our vantage point. After a few minutes the smoke cleared and the fire appeared to be under control.

Now, I'm back at my desk, killing time, waiting out the next mini-adventure.

In Brief

SUNDAY was the Nanaimo Hanami BBQ party at the Isuzugawa Park area. This is always an entertaining afternoon involving meat, beer and playing catch with a football. A nice crowd turned up after a slow start ... the first hour was just the owner, another bartender and myself. As noted before, this kicks off the barbecue season. Photos to come.

...

TODAY we had school-year opening ceremony in the morning. As usual, plenty of standing and bowing and boilerplate specchifying. More interesting was the entrance ceremony for new students in the afternoon. Since high school is not complusory in Japan, it's considered an acheivement to be accepted into one. So parents (mostly moms) show up for this formal ceremony of standing and bowing and boilerplate speechifying. All day long we ALTs dispense with a normal casual wear for suits. I'm sporting a brand new red tie.

...

JUNE is fast approaching, meaning I'll spend a week in Oregon for the wedding of Andrew and Ellyn. While I'd like to have a chance to see everyone, I'm afraid I'll be stuck mostly on the west side, much of that spent down the valley. My next trip to Oregon might not be for a while, since I'd really like to put some travel dollars toward new places. No friends or family have made it to Japan so far, and my second year is almost over. Anyone?

Pushing Softly

It's the middle of spring break for Japanese students. They get about two weeks off before their new school year kicks in. But teachers and staff get nothing off. You'd think maybe just one week, or even a long weekend. But no. Every day.

I guess in Japan, it almost makes sense. They only get two weeks to get ready for a new school year, a crop of new students, changes to the curriculum, new responsibilities. For the most part, we ALTs do not have anything to do. We could clean our desks (will do this week) plan lessons (tricky because we don't know our schedule) or come up with games for the occasional free day (not a bad idea). But overall there is very little to do.

Usually, to kill time we sit at our desks and browse the Web or study Japanese. Often we do this with our own laptops brought from home. But I have grown tired of bringing it, and today I am starting a spring break experiment.

After checking in down at the staff room and stamping the attendance book, I quietly moved to the third floor of the international building, a computer lab. Here, I can study or surf in peace and quiet and relative freedom.

I have done this without asking, because I feel in this case asking would only shift responsibility to someone else, who would in turn have to ask someone else, and pretty soon there would be a mini-conference about whether or not I can be here.

If someone comes to use this room, I'll leave. If someone needs me for something, I'll find out as I check in occasionally throughout the day.

This is the plan.

---

Another plan was to visit the gym for a workout after school, but I have been thrown a curve ball. My main bike has a flat tire which I have yet to fix, so I am using our Backup Auxiliary Bike, which is old and crappy and falling apart.

Well this morning, the Backup Auxiliary Bike decided to make a tremendous whaling sound for each revolution of the pedals. This means anyone from rice farmers to toddlers playing in the front yard can here me coming from meters away.

I am not sure I can handle the 20-minute ride to the gym with the bike making all this noise. I could try another experiment -- seeking out the use of the school's workout equipment ... but can I really break that much new ground in one day?

Barbecue Season is Upon Us

Oops. Another period of blog neglect.

Rather than looking back, I'll look ahead.

It's spring, but one last grip of cold air has settled in.

It will give way soon, which means cherry blossoms in bloom and the beginning for one of my favorite times of year here: barbecue season.

The first such event will be this Sunday, when the Nanaimo (our regular bar) crowd comes out for an afternoon "hanami" party which literally means flower-viewing. Really it just means we set up a big barbecue in a park full of cherry trees and eat and drink and throw (or kick) the ball (or disc) around.

Spring, in all its moderate-temperature glory, quickly fades to summer, and its loathsome heat. Throughout, the barbecue season continues. A saving grace of sorts, a reason to get outside and be social despite the unhealthy addiction to the powerful air conditioner in the living room.

Drape a damp towel around your neck.

Sweat, drink and be merry.

The 'Curse of the Colonel" ... or ... Kentucky Fried Tigers

Let's start with the hook: Yesterday in Osaka, construction workers recovered a statue of Colonel Sanders from the Dotonbori River, where it had been resting and collecting muck for 24 years.

How did he get there? In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers -- the most popular baseball team in the area -- won the Japan Series, throwing fans into a frenzy. Fans dressed to resemble players from the Tigers' roster dived into the very dirty river in central Osaka. But there was nobody around who looked like American slugger Randy Bass.

Nobody, that is, except The Colonel, who like Bass was not Japanese and had a beard.

Naturally, the horde of fans elected to uproot a statue of The Colonel from a nearby KFC chain store (of course they have KFC) and toss it into the river.

But ever since that victory nearly a quarter century ago, the Tigers have fallen flat, failing to win another championship. It was dubbed the Curse of the Colonel, becoming a major sports urban legend in Japan.

Now, with the chicken baron's resuce, diehard fans are predicting a turn of fortune for the Tigers. A KFC Japan spokesman even wants to erect the statue somewhere in the team's famed Koshien Statium (maybe left field?).

Now, looking ahead to the start of the proper baseball season, we can watch closely to see if the Curse really is over. I'll go a step further. If the Tigers don't win it all this season, I say the statue goes right back into the river for another 24 years.

---

Here now is a Japanese news report on the events:

Puffy and Potent, Delicious but Deadly

There aren't many dishes that could kill you if prepared incorrectly.

Sure, a lifetime of fast food and soda will kill you slowly, but I'm talking about something more sudden.

I'm talking about paralysis. You can't move or speak, but you're still awake, until you die from asphyxiation.

The meal is question if pufferfish (alternatively blowfish), called fugu in Japanese.

Naturally, the fact that it could be lethal only adds to its popularity.

The poison resides in the fugu's internal organs and skin. Only licensed chefs who have undergone rigorous training can prepare fugu for the general public.

Last week, at the end-of-school-year party for the English department, we dined on this potentially-deadly delicacy.


It was an all-fugu, multi-course meal, washed down with beer and a Japanese liquor called schochu.

We started off with a small bowl featuring heavily flavored fugu skin. Keep in mind the skin is poisonous. We're pretty sure there was a little poison in there, because we felt some tingling after this first course. Sure enough, Wikipedia confirms that sometimes a little poison is left in on purpose to give this tingly sensation.

Next was the raw slices (pictured above), which are clear enough to see the pattern of the plate they're laid upon. This sashimi course was excellent. Now, I've had a lot of raw meat since moving here. Some is good (I like the squid), some I can barely stomach (chicken. Yes, raw chicken). The fugu, however, was quite tasty and the best raw meat I've had to date. Each of those little slices are made into a small little roll with some small vegetable add-ons, dipped in a nice sauce and consumed.



Next came the fried course. As expected, it was good, but the bits of bone were a bit difficult to deal with and I think I preferred the raw stuff (never thought I'd say that).

Finally came fugu nabe, which is a big pot of veggies and meat that you cook right at the table. This was also very good, and what was left over was combined with rice to make a wonderful soup-like final dish for the meal.

At the end of the night and $70 later (fugu isn't cheap), we rode the train home full, a little buzzed and glad to be alive.

--

For more information, please watch this video: click here!

Shaking, then sleeping

Ten minutes to 7 and I find myself awake.

I realize the house is shaking. I find it odd that I've woken up just in time for an earthquake.

Just an illusion. The shaking woke up me, but it took a moment to realize what was happening. I could hear the rumble, enough to make you wonder if something was gonna fall off the counter (nothing did).

After it was over, I turn on the TV and get online to look for the source and size.

It wasn't a big one (or The Big One). Registered as a 5.1, centered in Fukui prefecture.

Then adrenaline finally drops. I fall back to sleep. I wake up 10 minutes late.

Earthquakes, as a alarm clocks, aren't that good after all.

Flurry Fury: Snow Day in Ise

It doesn't snow much in Ise. So when it does, people freak out a bit. Traffic jams up worse than usual. Teachers who are always on time are five, even 10 minutes late. The lunch delivery service I rely on when I don't have time to make a sandwich in the morning shuts down.

Needless to say, I was deeply affected by this morning's half inch (yes, a whole half inch!) of precipitation. And my drama spread to the ladies in the office, who had to be the ones to tell me that there would be no lunch delivery today. There would be no whatever-that-kanji-said next to the Tuesday entry on the menu.

Fortunately, one of the English teachers, upon hearing of my plight, took pity, and we went by car to the Tiger Mart. Lunch crisis, averted. Snow, melted.

This first (and maybe only?) snow-dusting in Ise is over now. It remains bitingly cold and windy outside, but the sun is shining and the teachers' room is furnace-like. My desk is right next to one of the space heaters, and I feel it's invading my personal space.

But if I try to shut it down my colleague form Singapore will probably throw something at me. And while, at this moment, the only available projectiles in her vicinity appear to be expensive electronics, I wouldn't put it past her to sacrifice an iPod for warmth.

I'll just have to periodically step outside for the rest of the day. The answer is obvious: I'll start smoking.

Halfway to Nowhere

Within my 19 months in Japan, the only foreign country I have visited is the United States of America. I went home in the spring last year and for the most recent winter break. On top of that, except for a few trips to Japan's three largest metro areas -- Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya -- I have not been out of Mie prefecture.

There are some practical reasons (read: excuses) for my lack of exploration. One is the financial factor. After sending home about a few hundred bucks for bills and loan payments, there is plenty of money for daily life and the occasional trip, but it is not as if I am raking in the dough in sums that make every free period a travel opportunity.

Another excuse is more complicated. I tend to want to travel with someone else or with a group. I certainly don't mind traveling alone, but without the travel companion(s) from the start, the planning or execution of a trip can be slow or simply non-existent. Some travel plans have been in the works but fallen apart. I was going to climb Mt. Fuji, but we had to cancel. I was going to go skiing in Gifu prefecture, but a farewell-party was a priority.

So here I am at the midpoint of my JET experience and I have yet to really explore Japan. During the back half of my time on the program, I hope to change course. I want to see some other parts of Japan, perhaps Hirosihma, Hokkaido or the mountains of Nagano. I want to visit another country or two, maybe South Korea, Thailand or China.

These things won't come cheap, and some plans might not materialize. But I hope to do what I can to get out of Mie a bit as the next several months tick away.

If I am successful, you can read about it all right here.

Decision Day

I have on my desk a completed form stating my intent to re-contract with the JET program, thus extending my current contractual time in Japan to the summer of 2010.

Mainly, I'm interested in continuing what I have here, while at the same time figuring out what I'll do next.

Broadly, I know that I'm interested in going to grad school, but I have yet to decide upon a program I'd like to try to get in to.

A friend pointed me to a grad program in journalism at a well-known university in Tokyo, and for a moment I thought it might be an English curriculum, but upon inspection, only some classes are offered in English.

There remains no university in Japan which offers an English language graduate program that I currently think would be a good fit. I'd be interested in such a program because I've long been interested in doing journalism in Japan, and I'd be interested in a productive way to further my stay here.

But that may not be a realistic idea. So for now I shall enjoy my time here, along with some other more fleshed out goals. One is to finally take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December. Another is to do some freelance writing for one of the English language magazines in Japan.

With those goals on board, along with the usual routine of fun and work, I expect to have a good experience over the next several months.

Perhaps I'll give the blog some more attention ... perhaps.